The Last Mission
by fairytale.romances
Summary: Troy was leaving CIA for his and Gabriella's sake, as well as for the sake of the family that someday they would eventually build – and he couldn't be happier. He was no longer a prisoner of his own secret. Or this was what he thought.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**PROLOGUE**

25-year-old Troy Bolton took a quick glance at his watch as he made his way down the hallway of the local headquarters of CIA towards the Research Room, where all the specialists worked on the new clues that were found by the spies.

Troy reached the door that he had been searching and put the palm of his hand on a badge right where the door knob should've been if it were a normal entrance. As soon as his digitals were read, he was allowed to get in the room.

To his surprise, though, when he stepped in, there wasn't an amount of experts working there and the only two people in the wide room rose from their leather chairs immediately.

"I'm glad you could make it in time, Agent Bolton." Nicholas Sanders, the commandant of that location of CIA, said with a satisfied smile on his lips.

Troy nodded his head in a polite movement. He recently had agreed to integrate a top secret mission, where their purpose was to put one of the biggest terrorists of the world, Albuim Volk, into jail. They didn't know how long it'd take for them to complete said incumbency, since it could take years, but he didn't care. It was a unique opportunity and Troy was ready to take this chance.

"Agent Bolton, I'd like you to meet Miss Montez. She's the best at the kind of inscription that is present on the piece of paper that you found on your last trip, so she's going to work on it."

Troy nodded once again and his eyes shifted to the petite twenty-two-year-old woman beside Nicholas. Suddenly all the thoughts left his mind as he stared at the beauty in front of him. Feeling speechless for one moment, he forced himself back to earth as he thought it was rude – and rather stupid – not to say anything at the moment.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Montez." He managed to say, extending his right hand. She smiled sweetly at him and accepted the hand-shake, being surprised as electric waves run trough her entire frame.

"It's my pleasure, Agent Bolton."

Their eyes met for the first time.

Their worlds had just started changing.

_A/N: First, this story will only have 8 chapters, but it's a big challenge for me as English is not my first language. I can read well, but I'm not that good with the writing, so feel free to correct me if you notice any error._

_Second, I don't have really any special knowledge about how CIA or any other organization of America's govern works, so remember it's all fiction._

_For last, but not less important, reviews are really encouraging!_

_Thank you._


	2. Chapter 1: The last mission

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 1: The last mission**

_Tic-tac_...

The time seemed to have slowed down for her as she was curled in _their_ bed waiting for his arrival. Her perfect features were highlighted by a sliver of moonlight that fell through the curtains and her dark curled hair matched the sky color at that moment.

_Tic-tac…_

He was finally coming home. _For good_. And then, they'd be free of the fear and the agony that fulfilled them every time he was in a mission.

They both knew that there were high risks just for them being in this relationship and, right at the beginning of it, he'd tried to convince her that it was best for her be away from him, deadly worried about her safety. But at that time she was already madly in love with him and willing to take all the risks to be able to be his.

_Tic-tac…_

The diamond ring on her left hand shone in a special way as she clutched the sheets closer to her delicate body. The awaiting was killing her. _As usual_, she thought.

She wondered how they had managed to spend more than four years in this crazy life style, never being sure if he would be back alive. She flinched at that thought and felt her heart shatter at the idea of never seeing him again. _It's all going to end soon_, she told herself.

_Tic-tac…_

She felt her heart skip a beat as she heard the door being unlocked and her feet carried her as fast as they could to where her lover was. Then, it was like the world had stopped. Blue eyes meet the brown ones.

_Tic-tac…_

A second later and she was in his strong arms as she sighted in relief.

He gathered her even closer to his body, nuzzling her hair, breathing in her scent, placing warm kisses against any part of her face that his mouth could reach while she buried her head on the crook of his neck.

"Gabriella…" He said in a husked tone while tangling his fingers into her curls.

Reluctantly, Gabriella pulled away just enough for their eyes to lock once again before she saw the small cut on his hairline. She immediately frowned as her fingers ghosted over his features, desperately craving the feel of his skin, but also not wanting to make her fiancé feel pain.

"Troy…"

"It's okay, babe." He said feeling her distress, taking her hand in his and kissing it as she trembled in reaction of the physical contact that they were having.

"Where else are you hurt?" Gabriella asked frantically in a whisper as her watering eyes instinctively searched on his body for any sign of injury.

"Gabriella, it's okay, really". He said even though he winced when she touched a particular point of his solid chest.

"You know, you don't need to be always the strong one. You're human, you're allowed to feel pain." She stated in regards of his lack of concern for his well being.

"I'm home, you're here and that's all that matters to me." Troy murmured between kisses on her forehead and cheeks making her shiver before finally crashing his lips on hers in a kiss that summed up the amount of emotions that they were both feeling at that moment – love, frustration, care, worry, need, passion. Gabriella fisted her small hands on Troy's hair pulling him even closer to her, never getting tired of his caresses.

"God, I've missed you… so, so much." Troy whispered against her lips.

He then carried her to their bedroom, leaving his suitcase forgotten next to the door.

As his naked body hovered hers and slid into her, moments later, everything felt alright - he wasn't going for another mission without knowing if he'd ever see the love of his life again, she wasn't going to be left in home crying herself to sleep, too afraid of losing him and they both would finally have a life as normal as it could be. Now, they were in each other's arms – where they were meant to be.

...

When Troy Bolton woke up on the fellow morning, the first thing the twenty-nine man noticed was the warm petite body snuggled into his strong one. Sighting in pure bliss, he tightened his hold on his fiancée before finally opening his eyes.

He watched as Gabriella's engagement ring shined and couldn't suppress the smile that appeared on his face when he remembered the events of the night prior - the sparkle in their eyes, the loving touches, the promises of love whispered softly in the ear, the feeling of being complete, their love-making lasting through the night.

Things had never felt so perfect than right now and he couldn't be happier. It wasn't that he hadn't liked to be an agent for CIA, because he used to love to be a spy, but since he had fallen in love with her, it soon became an issue. Going to missions meant _fatal_ risks, something that he never feared before Gabriella. He got terrified of not come back to her alive… or worse, some enemy find out about their relationship and hurt her, using her as bargain.

However, he couldn't just quit his job. Not when he was in one of the most important, complex and longer missions of the century, witch involved various agents, many trips and a lot of investigation. So he made an agreement with Sanders – as soon as said mission ended – which was when the man that they were searching was finally caught and arrested, if not killed -, he wouldn't work for CIA anymore.

Now, he didn't need to worry. He was free. With his marriage happening in almost two months, his last mission had ended successfully on the prior day with Albuim Volk being finally caught, although he couldn't deny that his head was still pounding and his chest was sore.

He didn't care.

Last night, Gabriella had been worried about making his injuries hurt even more than they already did during their display of love towards each other. He'd dismissed that, not allowing her to even think of it for the rest of the night. He'd meant it when he said to her that what matted to him was being with her. With the rest, he could deal.

Troy sighted happily again just before Gabriella's eyelids started to flutter open.

"Hey, gorgeous…" Troy said as his fiancée's eyes began to adjust the light.

"Hey…" She murmured in response, a lazy smile on the corner of her lips as she beamed at the feel of being wrapped up in her lover's arms.

"How's your head?" She asked more awake after a few moments of a comfortable silence, raising her head to meet his blue eyes.

"Better." He lied, avoiding her eyes while doing so.

Gabriella knew him more than herself and when her slender fingers touched Troy's chin gently, urging him meet her eyes again, she showed him that she hadn't believed his answer.

"Ok… it still hurts." He said in defeat, and added right after. "But it'll get better eventually."

Gabriella's hand slid down until it rested on Troy's chest and her head returned to its spot, tucked beneath his chin, making him shiver slightly at the touch. "It better be soon." She said quietly, already occupied in tracing his six-pack, being careful by not touching any of his injuries.

"By the way," she started again with a proud smile on her face as she placed a loving kiss on the crook of his neck. "congrats on your restaurant for making the list of the best ones in LA once again."

"Thanks, babe." Troy said and kissed her hair in response.

Yes, you didn't read it wrong, Troy Bolton - the agent - was an owner of a restaurant in Los Angeles. He hadn't meant it to be as bigger as it is today. He'd started it after being recruited by the intelligence agency during college, needing some excuse for all the sudden trips that he had to do due to his work - since he justified them saying that he was travelling around the world in search for new recipes and inspiration-, but never thought that it would actually succeed and become one of the most famous of California. As time went by, Troy had learned to love his establishment and the art of cook.

It's obvious that, at first, his father was not happy with his decision. He wanted Troy to become a professional basketball player, but eventually accepted his son's choice of career, not wanting to force him into something that he didn't want to do.

"Well, I didn't forget to give congratulations to the new best-seller girl either." Troy smirked teasingly while nudging her, making her blush adorably. "What did they call you?" He asked rhetorically, feigning unknown the answer. "Oh, yeah. 'The newest expert of symbology in art'…". He started already turning himself so he could be on top of her. "Oh! They also said something like 'We can't wait to hear more about her work' and 'Her talent is outstanding' or whatever…" Troy added as he kissed her nose, making her giggle adorably.

"You're so, so silly, Troy!" She kept giggling while wrinkling her cute nose, making him smile at her in adoration.

"Nah." He denied shaking his head, but still unable to hide his smile. "I'm just telling what the critics are saying about your book… And that's all true."

"Thank you, babe." Gabriella said softly before she heard Troy whisper seductively in her ear. "But I believe they forgot to say how beautiful, sexy and amazing you are." Gabriella held her breath, taken aback by the sudden change of the playful mood to a heavier one. His lips then crashed on hers passionately, and they both felt lost on the sensation of each touch that they shared.

As they showed each other just how strong and deep their mutual love was, Troy and Gabriella contemplated how wonderful their future would be now that they were finally safe and free of worry.

They didn't know how deadly wrong they were.


	3. Chapter 2: Freedom and Jail

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 2: Freedom and Jail**

_There were already a few things that Troy Bolton loved about Gabriella Montez in the short time they knew each other. _

_Her shiny curly dark hair that he so craved to run his fingers through , the magical sound of her giggles, the way her little nose scrunched, how excited she could become while talking about something she's passionate about or bit her bottom lip when she was nervous, the blush that would crept her cheeks whenever she got shy… Okay, there were _a lot of_ things that Troy Bolton loved about Gabriella Montez in the short time they knew each other._

_And as he stopped his car in front of the building in where she lived, just after they had dinner at his own restaurant, he couldn't help but wonder how someone could be so sweet, funny and sexy all at the same time and without even trying to._

_Troy hadn't scored this date right away, though. They had run into one another in a café on the same day that they were introduced to each other and caught themselves talking for hours. After that, it were necessary a few casual meetings at said café before he managed to ask her out._

_After becoming an agent, Troy had turned himself in a 'one night stand kind of guy', since he didn't want to be emotionally involved with anyone for obvious reasons. Still, for some odd reason, he wanted to do things right with Gabriella. She was different from any other person he knew… She was special…_

"_So, here we are…" Troy said making Gabriella look up to him and lose herself in his eyes once more that night._

"_Thanks for tonight, Troy." She smiled warmly at him and his heart skipped a bit._

_Damn, why was he acting like a teenager?_

"_When you said that you owned a restaurant I _certainly_ didn't think it was _that_ restaurant!" She giggled. "It was wonderful, really…"_

"_I'm glad you liked it." Troy said bashfully. "Peter's a great _chef_. He's the one who really takes care of the kitchen. I just give some ideas and am the one who takes care of the business."_

_Gabriella shook her head with a small smile playing on her lips. "You're being modest, Troy. It sure did justice to its fame. I loved it."_

"_Well, I…" Troy started to say in a husky voice, but his rational side had been long gone._

_They were unconsciously leaning towards each other. The air was suddenly getting thicker. Their breathing, labored._

_Gabriella could feel her cheeks blush from both arousal and shyness._

_He nuzzled her nose tenderly with his own and her eyes closed. "God, you're so beautiful…"_

_He whispered before crashing his lips on hers for the first time._

_The night that had been already amazing now had just gotten perfect._

* * *

><p>It had been all over the news during the entire week - Albuim Volk had been finally caught by CIA. He was now held on trial and under the government's punishment. Every newspaper and magazine brought the news on their front pages, each of them promising exclusive pictures of the now arrested terrorist. On TV, the images of the American president's speech that had been given as soon as the information hit didn't stop replaying. The pride that the Americans citizens usually felt for their country had elated even more. The anticipation for Volk's judgement increased as it got closer and closer.<p>

These were just the outside effects of the success of the operation.

Another reporter was talking about the latest CIA's accomplishment on a random news channel, but Nicholas Sanders turned the TV off. He turned himself to the desk of his office still wearing the grin on his face that hadn't disappeared since the moment his men finally put their hands on Volk.

The terrorist's belongings were being brought to that building and this information was being maintained a secret. Sanders was taking care of everything personally.

Things were _almost_ perfect for him right now. There was something bugging him, though. Troy Bolton, his undoubtedly best spy, had required retirement right after coming back from the mission. If only there was something he could do to make Bolton change his decision…

"Gabi…" The Afro-American woman called, once again, for her friend without obtaining any result.

"Gabriella!" She exclaimed again, this time making the brunette seated across the table look up from the newspaper she was reading.

"I'm sorry, Taylor. What you were saying?" Gabriella asked before sipping on her coffee.

Taylor McKessie sighed defeated. She and Gabriella had been best friends since college. More than this, Taylor had been contributing to Gabriella's researches through the years.

"Honey, I get that the fact that the Volk guy was finally caught is a big deal for the entire world, but it's been _everywhere_ for the whole week and you can't seem to stop reading about it!"

Gabriella laughed softly while putting down the newspaper on the empty chair beside her and taking a sip of her coffee. "Taylor, I was only giving it a quick look."

Truth be told, Gabriella had been reading everything about the capture of said terrorist. There was only one reason for all this interest, though – Troy was one of the men who made that mission a success and she couldn't be prouder.

"Well, I think I can forgive you." Taylor started in a mock stern tone before smirking. "What kind of matron of honor I'd be if I didn't?"

At this, both squealed. Gabriella's attention now completely focused on the subject in hand.

"I'm so excited that tomorrow I'm going to go to the last fitting of my wedding dress!"

"I know! Me either!"

"I still can't believe I'm getting married to Troy within two months! After everything we've been through…" Gabriella trailed of, catching herself before she said anything that could give away the secret that Troy and she worked so hard to keep between them.

"You'll be very happy together. I'm sure of it, Gabi. You already are." Taylor said sincerely, making her friend smile. "I just wish… I wish Chad would get a hint, you know?" Taylor admitted, casting down her eyes.

"I know." Gabriella told, squeezing Taylor's hand in comfort.

Chad Danforth had been Taylor's boyfriend for the last three years and ended up becoming a close friend of Troy and Gabriella.

"He will, Tay. He wouldn't be with you for so long if he didn't want a future with you. He's just a guy and guys can be pretty clueless sometimes."

Taylor gave a small laugh. "Maybe it's their lunkhead basketball heritage that won't go away."

...

Troy Bolton couldn't remember the last time he felt this peaceful. Even though Troy wished he could tell his parents the truth now, he knew that it wasn't an option. However, visiting Jack and Lucille Bolton without having to lie to them, for the first time in years, was enough for him.

It felt good.

To tell the truth, Troy couldn't even get the fact that everyone had actually believed in the crap of story he'd come up with to shield his real – now old - profession. No guy would apparently throw out a possible future on NBA to invest in a small restaurant right on the madness of Los Angeles. Worst – to supposedly make said restaurant a success, the guy would have to travel around the world all the time to find inspiration and new recipes.

At the time, though, Troy couldn't think of a better excuse – or a worse one. Everything had happened so fast that, today, it all seemed like a blur to him. The thing is, his restaurant really became a success and no one – unbelievably - doubted his tale. Not even his parents questioned him about it. Maybe, Troy wondered as he was seated beside Gabriella on his parents' living room, it was the fact that his father had gotten so angry at him at the time, saying that he was giving up a career on basketball – the sport they both loved so much –, that Jack Bolton didn't even pay attention to the bullshit his son elaborated.

Troy felt Gabriella's small hand squeeze his knee and heard the sound of her magical giggles mixed with the laughter of his parents. He tightened his hold on her waist and chuckled.

They were talking about his upcoming marriage and the honeymoon that would follow the ceremony.

This reminded him why he'd given up CIA. Troy had made his decision for his and Gabriella's sake, as well as for the sake of the family that someday they would eventually build – and he couldn't be happier.

"Son!" Jack exclaimed for the third time, only now being heard by Troy.

Troy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, dad. 'Sorta' zoned out here."

"I was wondering if you could beat me on a little one-on-one while the women finish preparing dinner."

Troy grinned. "Game on".

The two Bolton men headed on the direction of the back door, not before Troy gave Gabriella a quick kiss as he celebrated the fact that he was no longer a prisoner of his own secret.

This was what he thought.


	4. Chapter 3: Feel it tonight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 3: Feel it tonight.**

_He had been lucky. _

_He knew that. _

_Surviving more than four years on this job meant that you were already an incredibly fortunate person. There was never a certainty he would be coming back home alive every time. Still, he'd always loved the trill he felt every time he was getting near of putting his hands on the scumbags he needed to get rid off almost as much as the feeling of accomplishment when he just finished successfully a mission. Then, the adrenaline that pumped on his veins while packing for leave to another one and the pride to be one of the small percentage of people who had made a different purpose of their lives – protect others' lives. _

_It was like a drug. _

_It was his passion. _

_It was what made him give up a tamed and certain future on basketball to not even knowing if he would indeed live long enough to have a future._

_But right now, he'd found a stronger drug, an overpowering passion. Something – or rather, someone – who would make him give up this crazy lifestyle just so they could_ _have a future -_ together_._

_And he had been so_ damn _lucky to have met her._

_He knew that._

_And while he watched her sleeping form curled on his side on his bed, the sheets just high enough to conceal the nudeness of her perfect body, realization dawned on him. He loved her._

_That was the only reason that had made him go crazy when he got back that day from a mission and couldn't reach her by any means for a few hours. The idea of someone attacking her as retaliation to his job scared him to death._

_His blood run cold as the recent memories of the panic that had surrounded him until she'd appeared at his doorway telling him her cell phone had run out of battery flooded to his mind._

_Troy's arms tightened around Gabriella as his need to protect her from any harm kicked in. His heart clenched as he came once again to the only solution that could prevent her from being caught by one of his enemies._

"_What are you worrying about?" Gabriella's soft voice came as her fingertips touched lightly his frown, making Troy realize that she was no longer sleeping._

"_Nothing." He muttered avoiding eye contact with her. Maybe he could prolong this just a little bit more._

"_It doesn't seem like nothing…" She trailed off, resting her cheek on his chest again and closing her eyes momentarily when he kissed the curls on the top of her head._

_He drew a shaky breath._

"_Nothing that you should be worrying about." He dismissed again trying to salvage just a few more precious moments with her._

_Gabriella's head snapped up immediately._

"_I worry about you, you know?" She started while her fingers tunneled themselves in his hair and then sighted. "It's not fair that you have this secret life and I can't be a part of it."_

"_I know…It's also not fair from me to put you directly on danger…"_

"_Troy, I thought we'd already gone through this…" Gabriella interrupted, frustrated as she sat up, but Troy ignored her intervention following her action._

_His need to protect her physically and emotionally was above everything. _

"_That's why I think that maybe… Maybe we should stop this now." It hurt. It hurt so much to finally say these words. Troy knew Gabriella would suffer too. But he had to do the best for her._

"_By 'this' you mean our relationship? 'Us'"? Gabriella asked with hurt evident in her voice._

"_Gabriella, you know…"_

"_I know, Troy." This time, she interrupted him firmly. "And I knew how it'd be since the beginning. We've talked many times before about the risks. Why are you so intent on ending things now? Yeah, it's hard, but I'm not letting you decide alone what's best for me."_

"_You don't understand!" Troy raged grasping her forearms and feeling that he was loosing cntrol. "There are many evil people out there who'd do unspeakable things to get what they want. This is the kind of people that I fight everytime I'm away at a mission. And this is the kind of people who'd willingly come after you so they could get back at me! How do you think this makes me feel? I was crazy today thinking something had happened to you!"_

_Gabriella challenged angrily. "This goes both ways, Troy! How do you think I feel everytime you're away at some crazy place in danger? Do you think that I'm okay whenever you're working? I'm always looking at the news… hoping…" Her voice waved at the emotions bubbling on her chest and her eyes swam with unshed tears. "Still, everything's worth it. I'm not going to give what we have up."_

_His blue eyes bored intensely on hers and, for a moment, he was out of words. _You need to protect her_, he told himself once again. Troy drew a shaky breath and held her face in between his large palms. "Gabriella, it's not that I want to give up on us. But it's not fair from me to make you go through this kind of pain. You deserve a life so much safer and calmer. You deserve a guy who won't have a job that puts you in danger, who can give you a normal life, the happiest possible. And this guy is not me."_

_A few tears rolled down Gabriella's cheek and Troy's thumbs brushed them away._

"_Who said you're not this guy?" Her voice came softly as she took one of his hands in hers. "You've made me happier than I have ever been before. When I say that I'm willing to go through whatever comes in the way to be with you, I mean it. You have to trust me."_

_Troy stared at Gabriella's pleading eyes trying to decide what to do._

"_Okay..." He conceded, sighing. "But if you realize that this is too much for you, at any time, you're free to go. I won't hold you back."_

_She touched his face. "I know and I won't change my mind," she told him earnestly. "I promise you."_

"_And I promise you that the moment we put our hands on Volk, I'm out. I made a commitment to them and I have to fulfill it, but as soon as I do, I'm not working for them anymore."_

"_Troy I'd never ask you to do this…."_

_Troy hushed her by putting tenderly a finger on her plump lips. "I know that. But I _want_ to. It used to be everything to me, but now you're way more than that. You're the best thing that ever happened in my life."_

_Tears of joy pricked on Gabriella's eyes. Unable to contain herself, she threw her arms around him._

"_I love you." She whispered, expressing in words her true feelings for him for the first time._

_Troy's heart leaped of happiness. She loved him. She. Loved. Him. Grinning wildely he couldn't hide his emotions anymore._

"_I love you too, babe. So much."_

_Another tear escaped Gabriella's closed eyelids in bliss. "Show me. Make love to me." She asked in a hushed tone just before his lips touched hers in a searing kiss._

_And sweet, passionate love was made through the night._

* * *

><p>"<em>Mi hija<em>! You're so beautiful! Your father would be so proud…" Elena Montez's tearful voice came as she saw her daughter on her wedding dress, which was now completely ready.

Gabriella's eyes swam with unshed tears just before putting her mother in a tight embrace. Her dad had been a recognized studious of symbology and had introduced her to the world of encrypted messages and symbols still on her childhood. When Gabriella was twelve, he'd died when his car fell from a bridge. It was still a soft topic to the two Montez women.

"It's perfect, Gabi! Troy won't know what hit him when you walk down the aisle!" Taylor beamed as soon as Gabriella pulled away from Elena to see herself on the mirror while smiling widely.

"Do you really think so?" Gabriella asked biting her bottom lip.

"Of course, baby girl. You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen." Mrs. Montez assured.

The three women shared a warm look and Gabriella wondered how much more emotional she'd be on the actual wedding day, if she already was this nervous now that she was only on the last fitting of her gown.

"Ok, enough with the tears!" Taylor's adamant voice made them laugh. "Now I want to put on my maid of honor dress!"

...

Gabriella had just gotten on her car when her cellphone rang. Thinking it was Troy, since they were to have lunch together when she got back from the dress fitting, she picked up without checking the number.

"Hey, babe!" Her voice came with a smile, but it soon turned itself in a frown as she realized that Troy was not the one calling.

...

That nervous feeling was starting to make him feel sick. He was meant to have lunch with Gabriella, but she simply disappeared. He'd talked to Taylor and Mrs. Montez and both of them had assured him that, after the dress fitting, Gabriella went to her car saying she'd be going to meet him. The thing is, Gabriella hadn't and, not only this, but she wasn't picking up his calls either. For hours.

Troy couldn't get rid of the strange sense of _déjà vu_. He was doing his best to come up with an explanation, but these attitudes did not correspond to Gabriella's usual behavior. Besides, it was already getting dark and no one had heard of her yet.

Something was definitely wrong.

He could sense it.

And his senses were never wrong.


	5. Chapter 4: Battling the Darkness

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 4: Battling the darkness**

The man in black had come to talk with his boss, since he took charge in representing the others on this mission.

"She keeps saying that they're instructions to get somewhere. However, if she's telling the truth, this place might be on Arizona, which doesn't make sense at all."

The man seated on his leather armchair sighted as he scratched his chin. "Press her harder." He decided.

"I think we were already too hard on her the first time. We put so much pressure on her that she fainted."

The powerful man sighted again. This wasn't going at all according to his plans. He wanted her to willing give the information he needed and then he'd kill her in a silent manner, without having to maintain her held by force. Then, he'd fake an accident, in which the body wouldn't be found to conceal his crime. He'd have solved two things with only one action. But she'd been to smart and now, if he didn't watch it, he'd loose control of the situation.

"Well, let her alone for a little bit and then try again. Talk about Bolton, use force if you need, but if she keeps her story, don't kill her. Our plans are about to change."

...

The world seemed to have stopped. Still, each second passed as thought they were years.

The air was thinner than ever.

She struggled to see through her unshed tears.

Fear.

Panic.

Terror.

Dread.

That didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling in each cell of her petite body as she gasped for air once again.

"We're giving you another chance." The ice cold voice told her as its owner dropped his grip from her and she fell on the chromed floor. "You better tell us everything that you're reading in it, otherwise we'll be happy to contact your precious fiancé." The disgusting man smiled cruelly, making Gabriella whimper again.

"I already told you…" She started but was cut by her

"You have to try harder, _darling_…" He hissed as another man brought to her the same necklace they had showed her earlier, when she'd gotten there. The jewelry was made of pure gold and the pendant, rounded shaped, had an intricate manuscript in _Trinosophia_ symbols, which not many people in the world were able to read.

She looked at the triangular form symbols that she knew so well. That complicated skein was the favorite of her father. He used to appreciate that, even thought the symbols were treated with the utmost simplicity, every line was a profound enigma, and only with a lot of study and concentration you could understand it.

"So, what does it say?" A third man barked

Gabriella closed her eyes as the tears fell freely down her rosy cheeks and bile threatened to make her combust. She couldn't pass out again like she had on the first time they forced her to read the pendant, hours before. She had to control herself for her own life. But mostly, for Troy's.

"It seems to be directions for somewhere… The ones I already told you before." She stuttered through her trembling body.

"What else?" One of the men raged beside her.

"Nothing more! I'm telling you that this is what is written! Why won't you believe in me?" Gabriella cried at the three men, who were wearing the same black outfit.

"Bitch!" One of them growled dangerously as he pulled Gabriella by her hair, making her gasp in pain.

The other maintained the cock of his gun on her back and said with terror dripping from his voice. "The boss won't be happy when he finds out that you didn't help us, even after the chance we gave you…"

"Maybe with some _incentive_ she'll be more willing to tell us." The other black covered guy ememphatisized meanincily and Gabriella's eyes widened in fear realizing what kind of incentive the man was referring to.

"No! No, wait! Please!" She'd do anything in her power to not let them get to Troy.

"Oh… so now the princess has something to say…" Laughed the man who was holding her down on the floor.

Gabriella attempted to come with something, _anything_. "M-maybe it refers t-to a place where you can find some kind of treasure...Y-you can check the instructions and define the coordinates, so it'd be easier to find out where it is."

This seemed to spark interest on the three men and Gabriella's heartbeat increased with the hope that started to warm her most vital organ. _Maybe they won't go after Troy…_

"You better not lie to us, honey."

"I-I wouldn't do it. Y-you h-have my word." She answered.

The man with the gun grinned and Gabriella's stomach turned again in panic. "Your word doesn't mean shit to us. Or do you actually believe that you're that important? But this information coming from a genius like you, like your _father_ was, is relevant. And I know exactly who would happily verify what there's on this place to us."

A desperate Gabriella struggled to get free again, but in a matter of seconds the leader was in front of her. From that moment on, everything seemed to be a blur again as the worst of her nightmares unfolded right in front of her eyes. They took off her engagement ring, and this action alone hurt her more than any of the physical pain they had made her go through until now. She begged to have it back, only to be hit in the back of the head.

Her heart cried out for Troy. They were going after him.

And then, blackness surrounded her once again.

...

This was it.

His senses were never wrong.

His worst nightmare became reality. A worst than hell-y reality.

Troy was sure that he was fuming as his heart was torn between pounding in guilty or shattering completely.

If only he had stopped this when he could. If only they hadn't fallen too hard for each other that, when they realized it, it was already too late to let the other go.

Now, while the diamond ring he'd gave her almost a year ago with so much love and excitement for their future laid lifeless on his trembling palm, she was held by some fucker crazy-minded. Scratch that. Probably it was more than one.

Troy was staring at the piece of jewelry since he'd gotten home fifteen minutes ago and found it at his mail with a note instructing him to wait for a contact this night yet.

But he wasn't going to sit still. He had to do something before it was too late. If it already wasn't.

Right as he was going to put on a motion, his rational side sparkled on. If he acted on anger and passion, as he was about to, he'd do something stupid and Gabriella's situation would surely aggravate.

_Calm down, Bolton. This is a battle you can't lose. Think…_

_Sanders_.

Troy's fingers immediately started dialing the number he knew so well. Sanders was the only person who he could ask for help right now. Maybe he could orient how Troy should act as well as use the CIA's equipments to trail down Gabriella's captors, since Troy's tries failed.

Not that Troy needed someone to tell him what to do in those situations, but he wanted to make sure that no wrong was made. When Gabriella was concerned, _nothing_ could go wrong.

"Agent Bolton?"

Troy could hear both satisfaction and surprise on the powerful man's voice and didn't bother to correct Sanders in regards of him being now an _ex_-agent. There was another matter he needed to deal with. An life or death matter.


	6. Chapter 5: Staking My Claim

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A.N.: Just to clear something up: the necklace that was showed to Gabriella on the last chapter wasn't hers. Its origin is part of the mystery of the story and they really needed Gabriella to translate the message. ;D**

**Thanks to everyone who is reading this story! **

* * *

><p><strong>The Last Mission<strong>

**Chapter 5: Staking my claim**

_The hot sun didn't fail in making the bodies sweat, specially the ones that were exercising. Troy Bolton was no exception. When he and three others decided to play a two-on-two basketball game no one had doubt of what time would win._

_Before Troy could get tired, though, the heat became too much and most of the presents agreed that it'd be reasonable to stop the game as it was._

"_Congratulations." Gabriella said simply with an amused smile on her kissable lips as Troy flopped onto the grass beside her. Sure enough, his team had won._

_She immediately offered him a bottle of cold water, which he thanked with a nod and a small smile. This action alone, however, was enough to make her heart flutter and she bit downher bottom lip at the sight of Troy's bare chest, him drenched in sweat..._

"_What?" Troy grinned when he'd already drunken several long swallows._

_Gabriella blushed at being caught staring and shrugged to conceal her shyness. She'd seen him all over more times than she could count, but that didn't mean that she'd gotten over her self-consciousness._

"_Nothing. Just that basically _all the girls_ here almost had a heart-attack when you discarded this" She giggled as he saw the t-shirt he'd been wearing until mid-game on her hands._

_It was their second Fourth of July together and Chris, one of Troy's remaining friends of college, was throwing a barbecue at his house, so this year the couple was celebrating the holiday there._

"_Well, if you're right, then all the girls must've seen that I actually gave _this_ to my favorite cheerleader take care of."_

"_Maybe your move wasn't clear enough as they're still looking at you." She mused._

"_I, for one, can say that I'm struggling to not pound the bunch of guys here that can't seem to take their eyes off of your stunning figure."_

_She knew he wasn't being serious about the threat, because, despite his profession, he'd never willing hurt someone. Still, she enjoyed this possessive battle between them._

"_Then, maybe it'd better if you were just a bit clearer about our status, you know?"_

"_This is why I'm in love with a genius." Troy grinned again and leaned a bit on her, putting his hands on her hips._

"_Do you think this is clear enough?"_

_Gabriella giggled as she dropped her arms onto his broad shoulders and shook her head. "Uh-uh."_

_He got closer, joining completely their torsos. "What about now?" He murmured against her neck before kissing softly the sensitive skin behind her ear._

_If Gabriella wasn't so intoxicated for the palpable sexual tension now hanging between them, she'd blush furiously and push him away from her, as she was usually uncomfortable with excessive PDA in front of others. However, before her mind could bring her back to her senses, Troy bent his head down to hers, engaging both into a fiery kiss and drawing jealous looks from many._

* * *

><p>Troy didn't know how he was still functioning. Everything seemed a blur to him. He faintly recalled Sanders' worries about them talking on the phone, afraid of someone tracking their phone call, and his suggestion about Troy coming to his office immediately. Although Troy did as he was told, he couldn't really remember how he'd done it without crashing his car while on the road.<p>

"I didn't know you were so… _close_ to Miss Montez, _Agent_ Bolton." Sanders said while twirling Gabriella's engagement ring on his fingers before looking up at the utterly broken figure standing in front of him.

Troy's hair was sticking up in every direction, proving that he'd run his hands through it repeatedly. His blood-shot eyes showed a mix of feelings that Sanders couldn't really put a finger on – anger, frustration, fear… and, he dared to say, guilt.

"Are you sure you don't have any means of finding out how this was given to you this afternoon?" Sanders asked raising the ring at their eye-level.

"Yeah. I went to make some rounds to see if I could find her and, when I got home, it was on my mail. No one saw anybody leaving it there."

"After years being with us, Bolton, I would believe that you'd have security cameras at your house, you know, just in case…"

"I do have it, sir. I went to check it, but it stopped working precisely at eleven past five this afternoon."

Sanders dropped himself at his seat. "Well, then we may assume that this was the moment they left it to you."

Troy nodded mutely.

"You also told me they called you. They send to you a mission in exchange of her."

"I tried to track them down, but it's impossible. They seem to have our technologies, sir. And…" His voice faltered. "They wouldn't even let me talk to her. You know, to be sure she's really alive." Troy's eyes cast down. He didn't like to show others his vulnerabilities and demonstrate weakness to his ex-commandant no else was hard to him.

"Have you told anybody else about it?"

"No, sir. They strictly told me that I shouldn't talk to no one. I've only come to you because I know I'm at the point of loosing completely control and I can't accept any fault on this mission. It needs to be perfect executed. I can't let her die."

Sanders didn't comment on this passionate speech. He couldn't let emotions get on his way. Everything needed to be done, as Troy had said, perfectly. "Okay. What did they tell you to do?"

"I need to follow the coordinates they gave me and find out what's there." Troy said solemnly. "Here" He thrust Sanders a scribbled note.

"32° 57′ 17″ N, 110° 11′ 44″ W" The older man read aloud. "Where does it take you?" He frowned.

"Spenazuma, Arizona."

"I've never heard of it."

"It's a ghost-town." Troy was answering almost robotically like.

"You were right about not going there alone. You can count with our help, Bolton."

...

Gabriella's tired tiny frame seemed to have given up, still, it wouldn't stop trembling. She was crouched on a counter of the chromed empty place with two of those dreadful men in black maintaining her there, like a caged animal. She had tried to run away, to get out of there, but, of course, they managed to catch her and then tied her down on the floor.

The time seemed to drag, as she couldn't see any part of the exterior and now that she was 'under their control' again, the silence screamed in her ears. The tear-marks on her cheeks and her blood-shot eyes proved that she'd cried for hours. Now, however, there weren't any tears left. The nakedness of her fourth left finger weighted on her soul and the swirl of thoughts on her head were becoming too much to her. This not to mention the constant urge to throw up.

She closed her eyes, determined to get her mind somewhere else, before she got crazy in agony. Some place where she had been happy, a memory that could bring her peace of mind, so she could plan another way to escape. Trying to do it while heated had proven to be a mistake more than once.

Gabriella's thoughts turned themselves randomly to a certain Fourth of July and images formed on her brain… The hot sun, the grass, the basketball, Troy's shining cyan eyes so close to her…


	7. Chapter 6: Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 6: Revelations**

Spenazuma, a short-lived mining town, had become a ghost-town around 1899, after the swindle collapsed because of an investigation by _Arizona Republican_. Although it's now privately owned, Sanders got an authorization, so Troy and some other active agents were flying over the set on the wee hours of morning.

They were going to land soon and then start searching through the place for what could be relevant. They had gone through the possibility of it being a trap to kill the ex-agent, but, even with him not being alone, Troy wouldn't hesitate if his death meant Gabriella's freedom.

Troy was trying to act as rational as he could, analyzing already which points could hold something actually meaningful and which they could overlook at least for now.

It didn't matter to him how much he'd need to search. He was going to save Gabriella, even if it killed him.

...

Gabriella hadn't slept at all since she was caught, almost eighteen hours ago, in hope of finding one opportunity to escape. It had apparently come a few moments ago. However, once again, it didn't work. She was mindful to the fact that they had cameras. But she had counted with the possibility of, after freeing herself, finding someone on the building who wasn't involved in this to help her. Before she could achieve any real success, though, a tall figure had appeared beside her with a sick smile on its face.

"Were you going somewhere, Miss Montez?"

...

Troy Bolton run a hand through his damp in sweat hair. He was frustrated. They were searching nonstop since the entourage had arrived at the ghost-town city, nearly six hours ago, without any success. CIA's special equipments were being used and the agents were following Troy's lead. The heat of the desert was becoming worse and everyone was starting to doubt the achievement of this mission.

"Troy, man, take a break." Michael Downey, an agent who had worked with Troy on two missions before, told his colleague.

Troy looked up. _Was that guilty on his face? I must be really getting crazy._

"No, thank you. I need to keep searching."

With that, he started walking away and his eyes squinted to see with the blinding sun. The sunglasses he was wearing wasn't enough to conceal the strength of desert. His senses sparkled to life as he caught sight of what seemed to be another old mine's construction, deteriorated with the time. Even though no one had looked into there yet, a sudden feeling told him that that was the place.

Troy Bolton's feeling was never wrong.

His pace quickened and his heartbeat increased with the perspective of coming closer to have Gabriella right where she belonged – in his arms.

...

"I have to say I'm impressed." The mock-sweet voice told her. He was seated before her, while she was kept on the ground with three different men in black guarding her.

"Even knowing that you're going to die, you're still more worried about your _precious_ Troy than with yourself."

Gabriella's eyes were down. She had begged over and over again for news about her fiancé. For the last hours, she hadn't tried to run away anymore. Not when _he_ hadn't left her since her last try. It wasn't that she had given up. God, she did want to live. _With_ Troy – this part, however, was non-negotiable. If something happened to him because of all this, she'd never forgive herself. Ever. She hated this feeling of impotency, as her attempts of escape were pathetic before the trained men. She'd learned the hard way to accept this fact. So she could even come in terms that her life was over. What she couldn't overcome was that Troy's was in risk.

"Being selfless now won't do you any good, you know? You should've thought about it before." He said and then, after a laugh, which made Gabriella want to throw up, he added. "I remember your father was like that when he was on the same situation. All he cared about was that you and your mother were all right."

This caught Gabriella's attention and her head snapped up. "W-what?" Her voice sounded hoarse for the lack of use and all the crying. "What did you just say?"

Before the 'boss' could reply, a forth man entered the chromed, almost empty place.

"Sir, the phone call you were waiting."

A triumphant expression spread the older man's face and, just like that, he left Gabriella to the care of his subordinates in order to hear the news he'd been waiting since the change of plans.

...

They were all astonished at what it was found. Bombs. Not simple bombs, but _nuclear_, _atom_ bombs. Even as they all had worked for years as agents, and had seen unspeakable things that could traumatize a person's mind forever, they had never actually come across that quantity of the weapon that could erase the human's race from Earth.

It had taken some digging and the help of a detector to direct their search, but Troy's sense was proved right, making most of them remember why he'd been Sanders' favorite. The surprise, though, had been the contents of the results.

After a moment of being speechless, Troy was about to contact Sanders when he looked around and noticed Agent Heller backing away a little from the crowd while making a phone call. This caught his attention. _Strange_, he thought.

The ex-agent then started walking towards the other man and what he heard made his blood run cold.

"The bitch read the fucking thing right! After this gets to the news, you'll be the most powerful man in America, Sanders!" Heller said and quickly ended the call.

Troy, however, had already stopped listening to understand the final words exchanged. The world stood for a whole three seconds before he could think again. His brain then went into overdrive. He had been betrayed for the man he'd trusted. Gabriella had been on this man's hands the whole time. This alone made him completely furious and he didn't have the time to analyze how much of a fool he'd been or for how long as he lounged himself over Heller.

"Where the hell is she?"

With that, all hell broke loose indeed.

...

"Sir?"

Sanders looked up from the papers on his hand still smiling.

"We have a problem."


	8. Chapter 7: Until Everything is Over

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**The Last Mission**

**Chapter 7: Until everything is over**

_Gabriella had just softly knocked on the door when it opened to reveal to her a familiar face._

"_Miss Montez!" I'm so glad you could come! I'm sorry for it being a little rushed, but it's an emergency, you know." Sanders said cheerfully._

"_That's okay, sir." Gabriella tranquilized with a warm smile on her face._

"_Here, have a seat, please."_

"_You told me you wanted me to translate some encrypted message…" Gabriella started as she seated before Troy's old commandant._

_The agents didn't really share their private lives on work with the objective to, of course, protect as much as possible their loved ones. But they always wondered how much Sanders would investigate each of his men. Troy hadn't been different._

"_Oh, yeah. It won't take long, I promise."_

Good_. Gabriella thought. She glanced at the clock and was glad when she noticed she'd have plenty of time to meet her fiancé without being late for their lunch. When she had received Sanders' call half an hour ago, just after having gone to her last dress fitting, she'd worried about that and had made a mental note to send Troy a message if the 'help' took too much time._

"_You must've heard that recently CIA arrested one of the most dangerous men in the world." Gabriella nodded and he continued. "Well then, I have here with me some of Volk's belongings and one in special that I wanted you o translate for me."_

_Gabriella's brown furrowed. She vividly recalled Troy telling her that all the terrorist's things wouldn't be removed from where they were because a special group of specialists was going to take a trip to said place so they could find even more digitals and trail other partners on Volk's plans._

_Not that retiring all the terrorist's stuff with the right knowledge would prevent this work, but, with all the press the case got and the magnitude of CIA's accomplishment, there were historians and business men making a huge deal with the government to transform Volk's old basement in a specie of a museum. Gabriella personally thought it wasn't a very pleasant idea, but who was she to say anything? She was already grateful with the fact that Troy had survived this mission, so she couldn't ask for anything else._

_Still, she followed Sanders down o the corridors of CIA's local headquarters until they got to a hidden room, giving her the not so good feeling of being in a place that most didn't even know existed. _

_Then, as Sanders opened the door, Gabriella gasped. The place was full of weapons, clothes, papers, jewelry. _Was this all Volk's?

_Before she could say anything, Sanders appeared in front of her with a velvet box. As he opened it, a golden chain was revealed to Gabriella. It had a big rounded shape charm with a message written on it, which she immediately recognized as _Trinosophia_ symbols._

"_W-wait a minute…is this all legal?" Gabriella had to check it. Suddenly everything was too strange to be normal. Nothing was adding up._

"_Of course it is." Sanders answered with an easy smile._

"_Then why do you have all these objects hidden here? Why we are here?" Gabriella began to panic as she recalled Troy's constant fear to fall on a trap. Beckoning slightly, she saw Sanders' face get serious as he let the box on his hands close._

"_Come on, Miss Montez. I just need you to translate this to me." He started while walking towards her._

_His tone was scaring her. Something _definitely_ was wrong._

"_How is Bolton, by the way?"_

_Gabriella gasped in horror and this time run to the door, trying to open it. When she finally did, she came face to face with five men in black._

_She screamed as they got hold of her, obeying Sunders's shouted orders._

"_What did you do to him?" Gabriella tried to free herself, but her force was nothing compared to strong trained men._

_Sanders cursed under his breath. He actually needed her to translate the damn charm and then he could kill her without leaving any traces. But she was smart enough to notice that things weren't regular. Maybe he hadn't been smart to conceal things better._

Things are starting to get complicate_, he thought as he saw her being dragged to a top-secret sound-proof chromed basement several feet under the building they were currently in._

* * *

><p>The nightmare was getting worse as each minute passed by. Troy had fought. Hard. But he couldn't overcome the force of ten men over him. They all had trapped him down when he attacked Heller, about two hours ago, and hoped him back inside the helicopter. They had known all the time where she was. He had fallen on the sick game of the man he'd trusted blindly. And the love of his life was held by this dissimulated creature.<p>

Now he understood the guilty look on Downey's face. Still, there were a lot of pieces missing from this crazy-minded puzzle.

His insides were about to combust and Troy felt when the helicopter touched the top of CIA's building.

...

Sanders was furious. No, scrach that. He was fuming. In less than 48 hour his plans had changed. Twice.

His initial euphoria and wonder at what Volk had been hiding for God knows how long and the idea of presenting to his superiors this discovery as it was his own was vanished. He was going to get so much prestige and gain a lot more influence upon the most powerful men in America.

But everything wasn't really lost. Yet.

After being alerted that Troy had found out that he was behind everything, he didn't let his men kill the ex-agent. Afterall, he was supposed to live since the beginning. This part of the plan wasn't going to change until further notice. Then he ordered that Bolton should be brought to him immediately.

"Sir, Bolton's here"

At the name of her lover, Gabriella's head snapped up and her heartbeat increased. So he was alive! But if they were bringing him down there where she was, it meant… She didn't even want to think the possibilities. It caused too much pain on her already fragile heart.

"Downey! Bring him here!" Sanders ordered and, as the others were ready to get inside the basement, the commandant shook his head. "No. Only Downey with him" And then, turning himself to the three Gabriella's 'guardians', he motioned for only one of them to stay. "I want to have a private talk with this lovely couple."

They did as they were told and the sound of the door slamming shoot wasn't heard by the lovers that longed to see each other.

Both Troy and Gabriella felt as the air had been drained from their lungs as blue met brown. The mix of emotions there was palpable and Gabriella wept. She'd never seen so much terror in Troy's bright ceruleans.

No… no, this wasn't happening. Seeing each another on this situation was dilacerating.

"Troy…" She whimpered and struggled to get out of the grasp that was keeping her away from the bliss of Troy's arms.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Troy growled, only to hear Sanders chuckle and to receive a gun jabbed into his gut. He groaned in pain.

_No!_ Gabriella's tears were racing now on her cheeks and her body was violently shaking. "Stop!" She wept again and the man behind her pulled her midnight thick curls.

Troy's chest heaved aggressively, but his eyes were imploring to her. "Don't fight." He mouthed to Gabriella.

She looked absolutely broken, so, so fragile. He tried desperately to free himself, but the knots on his wrists were too strong and he still had a gun pointed to his skull. His gut clenched and his eyes forced themselves to tear away from her to look at the man that was responsible for all this. Troy's blood boiled up.

"Keep me, but release her!" He tried. _Traitor!_

Sanders laughed softly. "I have to admit that I wasn't the most intelligent man on planning all this. Both of you have discovered what you shouldn't. But I'm impressed on how you tend to put each other's safety before your own."

Walking towards Gabriella, he touched her cheek and she turned her face away. His touch felt like red-hot iron on her skin.

_No! He's too close of her! _

"Such a beautiful face. Tell me, darling, are the things ready for the wedding?" He asked crudely. "It's a shame you father won't be there. He was also a genius, but, like you, preferred to die here, on this very place, than to provide us the information we needed just because it wasn't a legal thing."

Gabriella gasped. _No, no_. This couldn't be possible. Carlos Montez had died in an accident, she told herself. His car had fallen down of a bridge and crashed at the sea.

Her mind went in overdrive…

The body had never been found.

Was that possible? Had her father been killed? Had he suffered torture? It was too much to her and Gabriella's knees buckled below her.

The death of her father had been a tragedy that she had taken years to overcome. And nowadays she still missed him.

Troy was absolutely shocked with the news just received, but he didn't have much time to contemplate them as there were more.

"You must've inherited his wisdom as you were right. I took Volk's things irregularly in order to find something relevant so I could reach the level of respect that I deserve. I had a feeling that the chain was an important key, but none of the specialists here knew how to read what was written, so I needed you, Gabriella, to do it for me. And you know I asked nicely, don't you?"

Troy sneered but Sanders ignored it.

"Then I could erase you from this world, just like I did with your father, and I could convince Troy to come back to CIA. But things didn't work as planned, right? At the beginning, I thought you were making up the translation, Miss Montez, but it ended up making sense, since the gold chain provided information about an old mining city in Arizona, where Volk hide his most powerful weapons, discovered by our hero, here." Sanders said pointing at Troy, who growled again.

"Sorry, Bolton, but my men are too mediocre to let them go there alone. I needed your traits, because I'm sure they'd come back with empty hands. And you don't imagine my surprise when you came to _me_, no else, for help."

This was all too crazy. All this time Sanders wanted to be boasted by finding something incredible in regards of the terrorist's prison? Didn't the capture alone bring him enough recognition with the government? Besides that, why couldn't the man get over the fact that Troy didn't want to work as an agent anymore? Just because he didn't trust enough on his other men? Then, just like that, Sanders assumes that Gabriella's the reason behind Troy's choice and resolves to take her out of action to induce the retiring agent to come back?

Troy's thoughts were interrupted again as Sanders directed himself to him.

"Don't be sad, Bolton!" He mocked. "I have an offer to you. You know, you just have to accept to work for me again and then everything can be resolved!"

What happened next was a surprise. Downey purposely freed Troy's hands. Troy took his chance and lunched himself forward to save Gabriella.

The adrenaline pumping on his veins helped him gain forces to punch the guy that was holding his lover, making him drop her.

She screamed as the two rolled on the floor and could faintly hear Sanders ordering Downey to catch Troy.

Instead, what Michael did was even more surprising as he kneeled in front of Gabriella and started to untie her ankles and hands.

"Run" He told her urgently before he hurried towards where Troy and the agent who had been holding Gabriella were still fighting.

Gabriella had been waiting for this moment since she noticed she'd fallen on a trap. But she couldn't run away now.

Not when the love of her life was risking his own life down there.

She wouldn't leave without him.

Despite Sanders calling Downsey a traitor, the agent got closer to the two fighting man with the intent of helping when Troy rose to his feet, leaving his opposite unconscious on the floor.

Then, just as he was turning himself to get Gabriella out of that hell-y place, he heard her scream in horror.

His blood run cold as he registered the image of Sanders griping Gabriella by her curly hair while pointing to her head the gun that had been in possession of the agent knocked down by Troy before the turn of events on that basement.

"What you're doing now, _Agent_ Bolton?"

He needed her alive. Whatever it took.

Downsey had already dragged his colleague out of the basement, so it was only Troy and Sanders.

_It's now or never._ He thought.

Rationality had long disappeared, even though he recognized that this was dangerous. But how could he not let his heart talk when the love of his life was in front of him being threatened by a fucking sadist?

"Sanders, let her go. Let's leave this only between us both." Troy tried to negotiate in a shaking tone with the crazy man who had manipulated everything.

Gabriella whimpered. _No_.

"We will deal with it, but let her go." Troy stepped forward and his eyes locked with hers.

_I'm sorry_, he seemed to be telling her and desperate tears fell from her brown eyes. He wouldn't accept Sanders offer, would he? Worse, would he give his own life to save hers? Gabriella couldn't bear this thought.

_Troy, don't! _Her eyes 'answered' his.

"_Babe, I have to._" His replied.

"So, what will be, Bolton?" Sanders's cold voice broke the lovers' silent conversation and, when he noticed, Troy had already lounged himself over him, making him drop Gabriella on the ground.

From this moment on, the following events were a blur to Gabriella. She could faintly recall how horrified she was when Sanders and Troy started fighting.

How, when she was just relieved to see that Troy had apparently knocked him down, Sanders managed to shoot while laying on the floor before slipping into unconsciousness.

How much anguish she felt once the bullet rasped the skin of Troy's right arm and blood started to ooze from the injury.

How, suddenly, SWAT took over the building.

How so many events happened until everything was finally over.


	9. Chapter 8: Here to the Future

**A.N.: So, this is the last chapter. As I told you, this story wasn't too long, but it was a great challenge for me, since I'm not a native speaker.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, added to their story alert, author alert and favorites. It means a lot to me.**

**I'm sorry about any speller and/or grammar error as well as if somehow you guys got disappointed with the plot.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Last Mission<strong>

**Chapter 8: Here to the Future**

Troy slowly regained consciousness as he felt a feather-light touch on the side of his head. The delicate fingers were running thought his hair in a soothing manner. He suddenly felt comforted by the gesture as he recognized, even at this daze state, who was the one doing it. He forced his eyelids to open and, sure enough, he was met with the sight of Gabriella seated by his hospital bed.

"Hi" she murmured as if she'd talk too loud the bubble they were currently in would snap.

"Hi" he answered groggily.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I've been better…" he told her, trying to not wince in pain, but she noticed it. His tired brain was slowly assimilating the sore spots on his body.

"They gave you pain meds not long ago." She reported.

He nodded, willing to forget his well being in purpose of hers. "How do _you_ feel?" He had to make sure she was truly okay.

"I'm okay. You need attention, though. You had a broken rib and went into surgery because of your arm. But the doctors have told me you're gonna be fully recovered soon."

He looked down and took a physical inventory. His right arm had a big bandage on it, and he could assume that below it there were stitches. His lungs seemed to burn everytime he took a breath, but it wasn't the first time he'd broken a rib or was shot, so he could live with it. Nodding once again, he redirected his next question to Gabriella, still worried about her. "What about you?"

"I'm much better now that you've woken up. When they brought us to the ER, they run all kinds of exams on us and then they gave me some meds that knocked me off for a few hours. Then, when I woke up, they wouldn't let me see you…" Her voice wobbled. She was still overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.

Troy sensed this and cursed his current situation that prevented him of following his instincts and taking her in his arms. He was glad she was all right. God, this was the understatement of the century! He was _unbelievably _glad that things turned out okay.

"I'm sorry, babe. For everything…"

Gabriella's brows frowned. She knew he wasn't talking only about the recent events, but about everything that his profession put them through. "You don't need to be sorry. There was nothing you could have done about it other than what you did. Yes, it's hard, but I knew how things would be when I fell in love with you… Besides, I'm sorry for all this. I shouldn't have fallen at Sanders' trap."

"No one would've guessed what he'd planned, Gabriella. There's no way that you have any fault in this." Troy said firmly and he recognized instantly the look of determination in Gabriella's eyes.

"If you're not letting me feel guilty, then I won't let you feel this way either. Sanders was a traitor not only to us, but to the whole nation…"

They could see in each other's eyes that neither of them would give up. However, to not let nothing hanging between them now, after all that has happened, Troy sighted defeated and Gabriella smiled a little.

"Agreed." He said as his left hand lifted and got a hold of the hand that was still caressing his face. Taking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed it worship-ly. Just then, he noticed that her fourth left finger was still ring-less and a rush of panic run trough him as he assumed he'd lost it on CIA's basement.

"Your ring…" He started, but her lips twisted in the first real smile she showed since Troy was shot.

"It's here." She pulled it out of the chain she wore. "They found it at one of your clothes' pockets and gave me with your other things a few hours ago." She stared at it for a moment before saying "For a moment there, I thought I had lost it forever…"

Troy took it from her hold and smiled smugly as an ideia came to him.

"Miss Montez, would you give me the honor of marrying me?"

Gabriella's eyes swam with tears. "Yes, Troy. Always yes." She answered surely and he slid the ring back to its rightfully place.

"I'm the one honored with you wanting to marry me. You're my savior, Troy… You risked your own life to save mine…" The tears were finally running freely on her cheeks now. After so much stress, fear and unease at the last three days, she was finally breaking down. "I'm so happy I didn't loose you. I couldn't live if something happened to you."

Troy's hand brushed away her tears. He understood her. He understood her because he felt the same way. "Shh… babe, don't cry. Everything's okay now. For a moment I also was afraid of loosing you, but we're both here."

Gabriella laid her head at his chest, suddenly feeling that she needed to be as close to him as possible.

"I love you." He murmured against her hair with his own voice clogged with emotion.

"I love you too. More than my own life. More than anything."

He knew she meant it. And it both scared and pleased him.

...

Gabriella Bolton sighted in pure bliss.

Everything was perfect.

She snuggled closer to her husband. Her _husband_. She could never tire of saying this.

His strong arms were snuggled on her trim waist and she nuzzled her forehead into his neck as they swayed on the slow rhythm of their first dance as a married couple.

Even thought they knew they were being watched by all people that were attending the reception of the ceremony with beaming eyes, it was like they were completely alone… Lost in each other's arms.

"You okay?" Troy leaned down to whisper in his wife's ear.

"I'm perfect. I'm just unbelievably happy." She murmured in response as the soothing sound of his heartbeat assured her that indeed he was alive.

The moments of terror they lived almost two months ago had, if it was possible, brought them closer. They had gone through so much in the past, but this event in special made them unbreakable.

Since SWAT took over CIA's LA base on that fateful evening, thanks to Downey, who, feeling guilty, called them as soon as he left the basement seeing that the situation was out of control, a lot happened.

Specialists were still trying to get to a conclusion on what to do with the atom bombs that were found in Arizona. The shocking discovery of their existence caused commotion on international community and leaders of many countries were to reunite soon.

However, America's government told a different version of how and why these weapons were found, as they were trying to preserve the agents' and Gabriella's identity, even as they're secretly punishing the criminal ones.

Albuim Volk's judgement was schedule to happen on the following week, although it's not really difficult to know what will be his sentence.

Sanders, for his turn, was arrested on the infamous day he shoot Troy and his chances of being acquitted are zero to none with so strong proves against him. For the death of Carlos Montez, though, he couldn't be sued as the crime had happened too long ago.

As the initial shock disappeared, Gabriella decided to not tell about it to her mom, avoiding opening old scars, but it didn't prevent her from opening her own heart to Troy on the many talks they had since then.

After the scare they suffered, they had agreed that communication was the key and so more than once they told each other their versions of the nightmare, how they felt, what they thought… Many tears were shed during these conversations, but no secrets rested between them.

"Have I told you, _Mrs. Bolton_, how simply… exquisite you are tonight?"

By now, other couples had joined the newly married couple on the dancefloor, but Troy and Gabriella still didn't pay attention to them.

Gabriella looked up on Troy's face. He was extremely handsome on his tux. But what attracted her the most were his cyan eyes filled with so much love that it threatened to overwhelm her.

"You must've mentioned it once or twice. But it'd be great to keep hearing it." She smiled tenderly as her fingers combined themselves through the hair on the back of his neck.

Then she lifted her chin up in invitation and Troy softly kissed her for a few moments before reluctantly pulling away before he lost himself, mindful of the fact that there were a lot of people watching them.

"I love you, Gabriella. More than anything." He murmured.

She knew he meant it. He'd proven it not long ago. "I love you too."

They rested their foreheads together and words weren't necessary anymore as they stared at each other's eyes, almost forgetting to dance, seeing their contemplations reflected in the look of the other.

Love.

Worship.

Hope.

Freedom.

Now, they were completely free. Free of fears, free from the lies, free to live their love. Free to finally have the future they dreamed for so long – together.


End file.
